healthcare marketing strategy
Lately, the healthcare sector has undergone significant transformations, which has, in turn, presented patients with more options than ever before. As such, healthcare facilities have to be innovative in their marketing strategies to survive in the current market, which is highly competitive (Balogun & Ogunnaike, 2017). Presently, it is challenging for a healthcare facility to run without using a sophisticated marketing strategy. By employing marketing techniques, hospitals can lure patients, guide, and keep them involved with the healthcare system (Mankiw, 2017). Critical steps that helped Sharp HealthCare have a sustainable marketing strategy include performance improvement, employee involvement, and becoming a learning organization to teach, inspire, and celebrate.
Developing an effective marketing strategy remains a core function within every organization, and it mostly relies on the implementation of various actions. Notably, the success or failure of an organization significantly depends on the marketing strategy. Firstly, determining marketing goals is a core activity. Team members must have an in-depth knowledge of these goals for them to design an effective strategy. These marketing objectives should be listed based on priority. Besides offering guidance, these goals help assess if the plan is effective and ways in which it can be modified. Secondly, conducting market research plays an important part in the development of a successful marketing approach (Costoiu, Loana, Semenescu & Marcu, 2016). Some of the vital information to collect includes market size, demographics, social trends, and growth. This action is essential since it helps track market changes that may require modification of the strategy. As such, the organization will develop a relevant and targeted marketing approach.
healthcare marketing strategies
Thirdly, considering that the marketing plan mainly targets consumers, organizations need to profile their customers. During this process, the firm should identify customer needs. Further, profiling will reveal their purchasing patterns like the way, where, and what they buy. In possession of such information, an organization will develop a strategy that captures the attention of prospective customers. Indeed, ability to attract customers’ attention is a key attribute of a successful marketing approach. Profiling assists organizations in developing plans that target new and existing customers. Even though marketing is primarily intended for customers, organizations must profile their competitors, as the last action. This objective can be achieved by identifying their products, price, supply chains, and marketing tactics. This initiative helps identify a firm’s competitive advantage. Consequently, the designed plan will be unique, an essential aspect of marketing. Also, it aids in recognizing the weaknesses and strengths of an organization’s internal processes.
In an attempt to develop effective healthcare marketing strategies, numerous studies have been conducted to identify vital steps. According to Logfren, Rhodes, Miller, and Solomon (2007), there are eight phases of designing successful strategies. Focusing firstly on improving performance is one of the most significant steps. While companies may be different, they are similar in the aspect that they all embrace performance improvement to attain set goals. In this step, organizations must measure and manage quality in all business settings. Markedly, the quality of service is a top priority among most patients. As such, improving performance will help attract prospective consumers.
Becoming a learning organization to teach, inspire, and celebrate is a core activity that has helped Sharp HealthCare sustain its successful marketing strategy. The key stakeholders in healthcare are patients, physicians, and employees. The satisfaction of these parties largely influences the performance of a healthcare facility. As a way of providing satisfaction, Sharp HealthCare provided team members with the necessary tools, resources, and information they require. As a result, team members felt that the organization invested in them. This approach helped maximize the productivity of workers, thus enhancing performance. Eventually, Sharp was perceived as an organization dedicated to educate, inspire, and celebrate, which has played an essential role in maintaining its marketing strategy.
Employee performance has a direct effect on the general success of the organization. In recognition of this fact, Sharp HealthCare opted to let workers be the architects of change (Lofgren, Rhodes, Miller & Solomon, 2007). I firmly believe that these approaches primarily helped the organization design a successful marketing plan. Employees possess vast information concerning the organization, which is of great assistance in developing marketing strategies. Sharp HealthCare allowed team members to focus on vital areas like patient satisfaction, employee recognition and reward, communication, standards of behavior, as well as service recovery. This technique enhanced employee participation, a critical pillar in marketing.
Indeed, this case study has provided important insights relating to marketing techniques. I have learned that one of the most significant challenges facing organizations is developing sustainable marketing approaches. Every organization should focus on improving performance before designing a marketing plan (Lofgren, Rhodes, Miller & Solomon, 2007). It is because most consumers are concerned about the quality of products or services. Experience marketing, particularly in the healthcare sector, cannot be neglected. Disregarding employees is a common mistake made by numerous organizations when designing marketing plans. Through the case study, I have learned that involving employees largely determines the success of a marketing plan.
In summary, developing marketing strategies is a significant activity in each organization. Actions that help design a successful marketing plan include determining goals, profiling customers and competitors as well as conducting market research. Some of the vital steps undertaken by Sharp HealthCare in developing a progressive strategy are performance improvement, employee involvement, and becoming a learning organization to teach, inspire, and celebrate.